The Favorites: Warriors 107 Utah 100

Last night’s Warriors win over the Jazz has had me at a loss for words for nearly a day. How to characterize this win? It was an ugly win, to be sure. Curry had one of the worst games of his career. David Lee was lackluster, on the back-to-back. Vlad Rad was horrid. Udoh was OK, but gassed on his first road back-to-back at altitude. Several non-shooters were brought off the bench, which for long stretches made the Warriors offense look like it was running in mud. Only great shooting nights from Dorell Wright and Reggie Williams, and a legitimate superstar performance from Monta Ellis kept the Warriors in this game, and ultimately got them over the hump.

After mulling it over for most of a day, it hit me. This is how good teams win on the road. This is how The Favorites win. I noticed back on November 5, after the first Warriors meeting with the Jazz this season, that the Warriors are now a better team than the Jazz. My pronouncement, which I was absolutely sure of, but expected to be taken as radical, was met with silence. Most of my readers probably took it with a grain of salt, figuring it to be typical feltbot hyperbole. I know no media members took it seriously, because they still feel as if it’s an upset when the Warriors beat the Jazz.

Let me reiterate: it is not an upset when the Warriors beat the Jazz. Not at home. Not on the road. This Warriors team is a much better team than this Jazz team, now and for the forseeable future, and you can carve that in stone.

Keith Smart: Smart coached a brilliant game, in my book. He got the matchups right, all game long. He went small at the appropriate times (basically, whenever feltbot screamed at the TV: “Go small!”). He went big at the appropriate times. He adjusted his first quarter offense to find Monta and Curry some early shots. He found a way to cover for Curry’s absymal performance. And he even found a winning role for Brandan Wright.

I would have brought Curry back much, much sooner with 4 fouls. But you can’t argue with success. Smart got his best lineup on the floor with 3:37 left to play. Lee at 5, DWright at 4, Reggie Williams at 3, Curry and Ellis. They went +5 the rest of the way to close the game out.

Monta Ellis: This was one of the best games of Monta’s career, particularly given the fact that he drew the assignment on Deron Williams for much of the game. Except for his profound unselfishness, he is beginning more and more to resemble Kobe Bryant at key moments of games. His closing ability is where he has taken the greatest leap this year, with his playmaking ability coming a close second.

He had a genuine superstar moment, in my mind, when he drew that foul at 3:23 when face-guarded, by dragging his arms up through Earl Watson’s for the And-One. When Monta realizes that he can close teams out at the free throw line, ala Kobe, the Warriors will take another big leap forward.

But that’s his only weakness at this moment, isn’t it? And I’m not sure it can improve, unless he changes his form at the line. Not enough leg and arm, too much wrist. It would be nice if he spent as much time working on it as he does his over the shoulder three pointers.

Stephen Curry: It is hard for me to get too down on Curry when I could only really tell that one of his fouls was legitimate. Some will say that Curry needs to stop reaching, but those quick hands are part of his genius, and the only thing about his defense that is intimidating. He just had a rough one.

Andris Biedrins: Not a terrible performance on a road back-to-back. His rebounding edge against Jefferson and Milsap is real, which is a big reason why the Warriors are better than the Jazz.

He is genuinely panicked on the free-throw line. I wish I could spend one hour with him. I think I could get him back to 50% in one month, teaching him a couple of things that Mark Price never dreamed of. (And Joe Lacob thinks he can be the GM.)

Have you noticed that he no longer jumps center? I have a theory about that. I think it is to avoid injury. I believe that Biedrins has a chronic abdominal/groin injury, which may or may not be osteitis pubis. This means two things: First, that he will never again be the Biedrins of three years ago, and the Warriors need to get reinforcement at the center position. Second, that the Warriors will not get what they need by trading Biedrins.

Because he’s untradeable. Live with it. The Warriors will have to go over the cap to get a big man.

Dorell Wright: Where would the Warriors be without Wright this season? Along with Monta Ellis, he has been an iron man. He never seems to get fatigued.

He is also one of the big reasons why the Warriors should be one of the fastest teams end-to-end in the league. He is always aware of where the ball is on defense, which allows him to get great jumps when Monta or Curry generate steals. He reminds me a little of James Worthy on the break.

Reggie Williams: That right to left drive, which Don Nelson found for Reggie and Keith Smart is only now beginning to emphasize, is well-nigh indefensible. Reggie is a quintuple threat: Pull up for the three, drive and pull-up for the mid-range J, drive and hit a runner, drive and get to the rim, or drive and dish. His offensive creativity and elite finishing percentages rival Monta’s and Curry’s on this team, which is really saying something.

He is an elite playmaker. The sooner he is made to realize that, and given free-rein in this offense — andMINUTES — the better.

David Lee: Lee had a better game than it looked, one game after battling David West. He forced Milsap outside, which drew him away from the boards. Milsap hit most of his jumpers, but that’s not Lee’s fault. Those are the shots the Warriors want to give Milsap. Lee did his job. Milsap got nothing inside.

Udoh, of course, is able to pressure Milsap’s outside shot. But that’s another story…

Ekpe Udoh: This was a tough game for Udoh. The announcers noticed that he was gasping when he came off the floor. It is a little perplexing for me that Udoh is still suffering conditioning issues. Some of it no doubt has to do with guarding bigger players. There is a big difference between Udoh’s 240 and Lee’s 250 isn’t there?

He got steamrolled a bit on the boards, but that had a lot to do with his defensive responsibilities, and being paired on the floor with Vlad Rad. Vlad suffered a complete failure in boxing out.

But did you notice Udoh’s defense against Al Jefferson? I think Jefferson got one bucket against him, on a put-back. Every single time the Jazz went to Jefferson in the post Udoh turned him away. This is a bigger veteran player, and one of the most accomplished low-post players in the league. Extraordinary.

Vlad Rad: Miserable game. Many of his worst attributes were visible in this game: Dreadful mid-range J, wild layups, non-existent on the boards.

So what do you make of his team-leading +12? To understand this you will have to realize that Vlad was used at power-forward, and go back to the game tape to see:

Just how open Monta Ellis and Reggie Williams and Dorell Wright were while Vlad was on the floor.

Brandan Wright: Provided a real lift in this game. He was fed a few bunny hooks, which he had no problem converting over Utah’s undersized front-line. Got a few energy rebounds.

On the negative side of the ledger, when Smart tried posting him up on the right box, he again turned the ball over. Which will happen when you have no strength, no J, no handle, and no vision.

And on defense, D-Will started to make hay in the lane while Wright was in. Wright is world’s away from Udoh in being able to defend the lane.

Here’s hoping that this showcase will hoodwink some hapless GM out there.

Jeremy Lin: The announcers and media types were effusive in their praise of Lin in this game. And rightly so, I suppose. He was terrific defensively, which is his calling card. He is really tough-nosed on defense, which I admire.

But the Jazz, and particularly Earl Watson — who is no longer the Earl Watson of old — really let Lin off the hook. There is simply no way that you should let a player with no jump shot and no left hand beat you by driving right. No way.

And there is no way that a point guard with no jump shot and no left hand can play in the NBA, which will be made quite obvious to Joe Lacob and whomever else it needs to be made obvious to, if Lin is given regular minutes and starts getting scouted. No way.

Joe Lacob, fix this bench.

The Playoffs: The Warriors head into the break at 26-29, with 27 games remaining. They are currently 4 games behind Utah and Memphis for the 8th seed, but only 5 games in the loss column behind Portland for the 5th seed!

This is why I believe the Warriors are a playoff team this year:

Schedule: The Warriors’ perpetually pessimistic and unfailingly conventional-minded beat writers are making much of the fact that the Warriors play a disproportionate number of games on the road in the second half of the season. But nothing is being made of the quality of teams the Warriors have left to face. Many of the Warriors road games are against terrible teams. How many of their road games against MIN, IND, WAS, CLE, NJ and SAC do you expect the Warriors to lose? The fact of the matter is that the Warriors have one of the easier schedules going forward. Looking at the schedule, I forecast them going 17-10 over the rest of the season, and finishing at 43-39.

Will that be enough to get them into the playoffs? In past years, of course, it wouldn’t get them close. But I think this year could very well be different, because the teams on the bottom of the ladder are blowing up. Beginning of course with:

Denver: The Warriors are only 4 back of Denver in the loss column, and if they wind up trading Melo and Billups, that should change in a hurry. Denver is also heavily rumored to be marketing Nene, who will be a free-agent.

Portland: Roy in, Roy out, Roy coming back. Camby in, Camby out, Camby coming back. This remarkable team never quits no matter what adversity hits them. They are heavily rumored to be interested in trading Andre Miller, possibly for Devin Harris, however, and may move Camby and Pryzbilla as well. Can they survive that too?

New Orleans: The Hornets are in the middle of a horrendous 2-8 run with Okafor out. He will be back, but I continue to wonder about Chris Paul. I have caught a couple of games recently where he fell on that bad knee and stayed down in obvious pain. And the drop-off in his performance lately has been marked. This is a very under-reported story. Remember where you heard it first.

Utah: This is a very over-rated team. Al Jefferson and Paul Milsap are not a playoff front-line. There’s no hope for Okur this season, and now Kirilenko’s suffered his requisite ankle sprains. Only the brilliance of Deron Williams and Sloan’s discipline have held them together so far this season, but now Sloan’s out, and Williams is a target in Salt Lake. I sense implosion.

Memphis: They’ve been playing good ball, but yesterday’s loss of Rudy Gay for 4 weeks should destroy them. And their schedule in March is murderous, which may have finished them off anyway. I see them dropping.

Houston: 2 games behind the Warriors in the loss column and difficult to forecast. They have underachieved so far this season. But they are also facing an injury and chemistry problem with Aaron Brooks, who has lost his starting job. And they are heavily rumored to be active in seeking trades.

If I had to flip a coin, I would guess that this tough veteran team will stay in the hunt.

Phoenix: Currently 2 games ahead of the Warriors, and I expect them to rise and make the playoffs. So that’s one spot taken away from the Warriors, with three remaining.

Clippers: No prayer.

The All-Star Game Boycott: I’m not going to watch the all-star game. I’ve never been much of a fan, anyway, but after this year’s unconscionable snub of Monta Ellis, it would be unbearable for me to turn it on.

This is of course a small and ridiculous gesture. But when I consider that the sole reasons that David Stern picked Blake Griffin and Kevin Love over LaMarcus Aldridge and Monta Ellis were RATINGS and MONNAY…

48 Responses to The Favorites: Warriors 107 Utah 100

Playoffs here we come baby! I don’t know if the Rudy Gay injury will totally derail Memphis, but Utah, Denver (With Melo gone), and NO with a Chris Paul injury could all fall behind the Warriors if our boys keep playing ball the way they are.

I say if, but it seems like the team is starting to FINALLY trust each other and understand their roles. Vlad Rad and D Wright are the two players who have won before in the NBA and hopefully their experience can help carry the Warriors through to the end of the season.

“I would have brought Curry back much, much sooner with 4 fouls. But you can’t argue with success.”
I agree that Curry should have been brought in much earlier–latest, with 8 minutes left in Q4. I disagree with you about “can’t argue with success”. I can and I will! This is a continuing pattern with Keith Smart–he doesn’t understand Curry’s ability to run the offense efficiently and brilliantly–and he doesn’t seem to appreciate how clutch Curry is in Q4. Until he appreciates those 2 things, we have a problem. He will continue to sit Curry for too long on the bench, and it hurts our offense. Last night, the ball stopped moving when Curry sat. Fortunately for Smart, Monta made unbelievable shot after unbelievable shot. The degree of difficulty on many of Monta’s shots was incredible and he sank nearly all of them down the stretch. That isn’t going to happen often.

Plus, confidence is everything with young players. You have a young stud point guard–you don’t screw with his head by sitting him for long stretches of the game like this. No good coach does this with a good point guard. He is supposed to be one of your leaders. Smart treats Curry like a lackey.

1) Defense. This is not Lee’s strongpoint, but he is far more capable than Love. Love is, hands down, the worst defender of his position in the entire NBA. And there isn’t a close second.

And btw, his Rodman-like stat hunting HURTS his team’s defense, rather than helps it.

2) Passing. There’s not a real debate here. Lee is probably the best passing power forward in the game. It goes beyond the assists. The Warriors frequently run the high post through him, and he is a great facilitator. He makes the entire team unguardable.

3) Running. Again, no real debate. Lee is not the fastest four in the league, but he runs the floor relentlessly and well. Love is, once again, the slowest player at his position in the entire league, and there’s not a close second.

4) Pick and Roll. Finishing at the rim. Love is too plodding to be a good pick and roll player, and he simply cannot get his shot off in the paint. Cannot. He has 11 dunks on the season, 109th in the NBA.

Lee jump hooks with BOTH hands, and although he’s struggled this year (finger, elbow), he’s a very good finisher. He has 47 dunks on the season (28th in the league) after missing considerable time with injury, and playing considerable time without being able to use his left arm.

5) Winning. The Twolves have 13 wins this season. Last year they had 15. Just how good can Kevin Love be that he impacts his team’s winning % so little?

Keith Smart mentioned the same thing in his interview with Ralph and Tom today, at least as far as the Jazz game was concerned. They had some double team schemes that they backed off of, because Udoh had them covered one on one.

Udoh may have lacked stamina, but he had a terrific game. Utah shot 7-23, or 30%, from the field when he was on the court, and went 28-54 from the field, or 51%, when he was not on the court. As you rightly pointed-out, he did a good job shutting down Jefferson. The fact that he did not score, and had only one rebound is of no consequence, as the Warriors scored seven more points then Utah when he was on the court.

Biedrins did not have a rebounding edge of Jefferson with regard to all important offensive rebounds. As Jefferson had 6 offensive rebounds, Biedrins 3 offensive rebounds. As such, Jefferson provided six additional possessions, Biedrins 3 additional possessions. Utah scored 5 more points then the Warriors when Biedrins was on the court.

When are you going to call for Udoh to get more playing time then Biedrins?

In the second quarter when he played, Utah got two offensive rebounds, the Warrior seized 2 offensive rebounds. In the third quarter when he played Utah got a team offensive rebound, the Warriors did also.

In the fourth quarter, with Radman playing center, Utah got an OR on three separate possessions. They did get 2 OR on one possession when Udoh was on the court. It may have been these two OR that made you think he got rolled.

With Biedrins on the court in the fourth, Utah obtained on two separate possessions obtained an OR on each possession.

Utah only 10 OR’s for the game, not a high number. The Warriors obained 7 OR’s.

Frank, you are among the few that view Udoh as a starting center. Smart recently made clear that he doesn’t, and I don’t either. He’s only 240 pounds, and not strong enough to bang against front line centers night in and night out. He’s even running out of gas against back-up centers and tweeners like Al Jefferson, as Smart has mentioned on several occasions.

He has been very effective as used, as a backup center and power forward. The four is his natural position.

This issue will be moot within a year anyway (and perhaps sooner). It is unlikely that the Warriors will go into next year without replacing Biedrins in the starting lineup.

Excellent post Feltbot!!! I think I simply see most things W’s as you do…

RE: Biedrins
Biedrins HAS recovered from his injury. Look back at his stats from October through early December 2010. Andris had two 20 rebound games and a 13-15 shooting performance and 28 points! No W’s fans were calling for his head then…

I do feel whatever team gets Andris (or should he stay a Warrior) needs to motivate and inspire (actually COACH) him, get him the damn ball once in a while on pick and rolls, drive and dishes, give and go’s – whatever, to get him 3 t0 5 more high percentage shots per game. S. Jax and Baron, for all their faults, did this. None of this Keith Smart spread the floor and post-up on the block, back to the basket game which Andris looks uncomfortably awkward in.

Andris’ strength is as an elite finisher around the rim, with excellent hands. As a very good rebounder. An active big on the offensive boards. As a 24-year old big who can run the floor with 5 or so year’s NBA experience.

It wasn’t long ago that I felt that Andris was worth the $9 million per season. A good coach and the right situation – will play to Andris’ strengths and minimize his weaknesses…

Andris is still a .500 percent career free throw shooter. This is a confidence and coaching issue. Ever see up and comer DeAndre Jordan’s free throw percentage? And DeAndre’s play is making Kaman VERY expendable right now…

maestro felt, until udoh gains a measure of familiarity and confidence in the games, he will fatigue quickly simply from being unable to find small intervals to relax and breathe on the court. distance runners couldn’t get very far if they didn’t understand that this is necessary even while exerting the body. it’s also obvious when top tennis players (an obsession w. conditioning required to consistently make the final rounds) face off, with the way the solo athlete is isolated– if the match is filled with long rallies, the more confident player regains his wind quicker.

to his credit, udoh’s effort is fairly non-stop on both ends. many journeymen pros of course, or complacent ones with nice guaranteed contracts, become spectators when they’re away from the ball on either end.

If you look at most games the Warriors have played, the Warriors often get off to a slow start for other teams shoot the lights against us in the first quarter.That is when Biedrins is on the court. I don’t care if you call Udoh a center or not, he’s a better interior defender then Biedrins. If you like to see dunk after dunk, lay-up after lay-up, Biedrins is your man.

If you like playing from behind, Biedrins is your man. Udoh usually comes in, stablizes the Warriors and helps the Warriors outscore our opponents in the second quarter.

Biedrins starts the third quarter and the Warriors usually usually go down in points. Against Utah, the game was tied at half, Biedrins started the third and the Warriors went down 67-62. This pattern repeats itself quite often.

Smart can do something about it , but doesn’t.Time after time, teams shoot 55% to 65% against us in the first quarter, and he just sits on his hands and does not substitute. I guess he’s in love with defensive rebounds.

Even if Udoh doesn’t get many defensive rebounds, other Warriors do. Our opponents don’t hammer us on their offensive boards when he is on the court.

By starting Biedrins in the first and third quarter, Smart gives the Warriors a very small window of opportunity to win. This can be corrected by starting Udoh and resting Udoh properly.

There is no reason with Udoh starting to suspect that the Warriors would not lead in the first quarter just like they do when Udoh is on the court at other times. Or, if the Warriors shoot poorly in the first quarter, given Udoh’s strong interior defense, one can expect that our opponent’s scoring would be kept down and they would not obtain a big lead. With Biedrins starting,and the Warriors not shooting well, we have, at times, been hammered in the first quarter.

Wouldn’t you love to see Ellis get a rest in the second quarter when the Warriors are ahead? When was the last time that happened?

Smart has done many things well, but his rotation is a mess. Fortunately, Ellis and Curry have pulled us out of messes we shouldn’t be in. Referring to Udoh as a PF and not a center is meaningless.

He’s far superior to Biedrins in defending the paint, and is a much better player then Biedrins. I’m surprised you take such stand given how you have praised Udoh for his defense against top line centers. You don’t do that for Biedrins for there is nothing to praise.

With regard to stats, come to understand ,if you haven’t already, the reason for player having a positive rating and another player having a negative rating. Biedrins has a negative rating, and Udoh a positive one.

I want Smart to succeed, but with regard to starters, playing time, and rotation, he needs to improve-big time.

Utah went 7 for 23 from the field when Udoh was on the court. I obtained that stat by reviewing the play by play for the game. This allows one to add up the number of shots taken by the opposition and those scored when Udoh is on the court.

Felt, a Nene for Biedrins swap I’d go for in a Bay Area minute (which, BTW, is slightly longer than a NY minute). I’m no longer sure on what GSW is going to do. A month ago I figured they were odds-on to make a trade before the deadline. Now? Unless they trade your favorite player (BW), I’m kinda thinking they’ll stand pat and look to add to the team in the offseason. The one caveat is the fact they’re creeping ever so closer to that 8th playoff seed. If they think a certain player would get them that spot (or higher) they’ll probably pull the trigger on something. As long as they keep Monta and Curry I’m cool.

A Warriors source told The Chronicle that a deal for Troy Murphy had been completed with Denver, contingent on Murphy being dealt to the Nuggets in a multiplayer, multipick deal with New Jersey. That deal would include Carmelo Anthony and is contingent on the All-Star signing an extension with New Jersey.

But, once he escaped league meetings, Warriors general manager Larry Riley said the Murphy deal would go through New Jersey if it were to happen. He said the Warriors are part of talks with New Jersey, among a number of other teams, on deals that would exchange the Warriors’ expiring contracts for a player of substance inside or for future draft picks.

Don’t fear Murphy coming and staying the remainder of the year with the Warriors. From trade rumors, it appears that Lacob wants to trade Gadzuric and B.Wright for Murphy and a draft pick, and then immediately turn around trade Murphy for players and another draft pick. By doing so, he frees up money to resign R.Williams, and has some draft picks. I suspect that none of the draft picks will be lottery picks.

In the past four days, two columnists for the same newspaper group have sung the praises of Keith Smart. See Monte Poole today and Carl Steward Friday in Bay Area News Group papers such as the Oakland Tribune, SJ Mercury-News, etc. This seems suspicious. Normally, columnists for the same paper assiduously avoid duplicating each other’s subject matter, especially within such a short period. On the other hand, it could merely indicate a lack of competent oversight by editors, which would be no surprise for this outfit.

In any case, it initiates some momentum in Smart’s favor and will have to become a factor in Lacob’s decision-making at season’s end. Smart’s performance has been uneven, to say the least, but it will help him if he has the media on his side. On the other hand, Kawakami writes for the same group and may see this as an opportunity to take the opposite view and draw attention to himself. This will bear watching.

No great surprise here, except for inclusion of Mozgov. I wonder if he makes Nene more likely to be traded?

I love Wilson Chandler (despite his filthy teeth). If the Nuggets plan on keeping JR Smith, they are still very very talented on the wings. Gallo, Chandler, Afflalo, Smith. If they keep Nene, they are still going to be tough to pass in the West.

One other thing. With this trade, the Nuggets have just entered the ranks of good NELLIEBALL teams. Look for them to really ramp it up with Felton and Lawson at point, no Melo to post up and pound the ball, and a small ball lineup of Chandler or Gallo at the four.

I think that part of George Karl is ecstatic at this development.

I know I’m ecstatic. I’ve had JR Smith in cold storage on my fantasy team bench for months, waiting for just this moment. FREE JR SMITH !!!

For those fantasy players out there, pick up Smith immediately if he’s still available. And Aaron Afflalo is worth picking up too.

Now that Denver got Mozgov in that Melo trade, perhaps their desire to move Harrington and their fear of losing Nene for nothing next off season could open the door for the Warriors. If the Dubs take Harrington’s contract on condition of landing Nene, maybe the Nuggets would take our expirings. They could have Biedrins if they wanted him. How about Gadzuiric, Radman, Wright and a #1 for Nene and Harrington? That would be a better deal for the Nuggets than what Houston would want to do for just Nene. That would give us Nene and Lee as starters with Biedrins Udoh and Harrington off the bench. I would love this move. Probably just a pipe dream though.

There are rumors that Portland might move Marcus Camby. He has one more year after this one.

Like Nene, definitely a great fit for the Warriors, although unlike Nene, he comes with an expiration date. But definitely a move that gets the Warriors into the playoffs the next two years.

In the back of my mind, though, I’m beginning to wonder if Joe Lacob really wants to make the playoffs this year, for several reasons. First, if they make it this year, it will be with the team that Don Nelson assembled. Second, if they make it, it will be hard to fire Keith Smart — and Joe Lacob dearly wants to put his own label on this team. And third, the Warriors have a 2011 draft pick. We know that Lacob cannot wait to make his first draft pick. The higher the better?

Recent reports had Denver trying to resign Nene to a long-term contract.

I think it’s misguided and baseless to say that Lacob doesn’t want to make the play-offs because the present teams was constructed by Nelson, or because he doesn’t want to rehire Smart. If there is one thing safely to conclude about Lacob is that he is one competitive dude.

If the relatively lack of trade activity is any guide, here is much of a market for players with expiring contracts.

There are reports that the Warriors tried very hard to trade for a decent big, that included the Warriors offering Ellis for Aldredge.

There are so many hilarious angles to the Anthony Randolph situation:
1) Forcing his way into Siberia, basketball and otherwise.
2) Having to play in the triangle. Lol, lol, lol. This is the first time I have ever felt sorry for Kurt Rambis.
3) Once again finding himself in a situation where the only minutes available are at the position he has already refused to play for 2 coaches: backup center.
4) As Matt Steinmetz noted, once again having to beat out Anthony Tolliver for minutes.
5) As Bill Simmons puts it: “Kaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhnnnn!!!”

4 and 5 are the best. David Kahn has to be trying very hard to be more and more inexplicable every year. He’s just playing the worst/best practical joke of all time on Minnesota and the NBA.

2 and 3 are almost just sad at this point. It’s too bad, this kid has already had a chance with the two coaches who could probably utilize his talents better than any and he blew it. Even if someday he has a total attitude reversal and turns it around, he probably won’t be able to reach his fullest potential…

cadan says:
February 22nd, 2011 at 10:54 am 24..TK for months on end…”Those idiot warriors continue to make bad moves….they wasted a VALUABLE TRADE CHIP this offseason when they traded Anthony Randolph…teams would be lining up to offer the Warriors a valuable future Number 1 pick”